Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy
The Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy or T50 DER/H,[http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=ordnance&cid=28438 Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Intel - Ordnance] otherwise known as the Concussion Rifle, is a Covenant infantry weapon. Design details The T50 DER/H fires explosive bolts of superheated plasma. When the plasma bolt hits a surface, it produces area-of-effect damage and a small "kick" to its users and objects. This kick is not, however strong enough to knock away those under the effect of Armor Lock. The plasma projectiles also have a great downward arc to its shots, much like the fuel rod cannon from Halo:CE and Halo 2. The weapon has only seen limited use, its most notable combat deployment being the Fall of Reach. Because of its relative rarity, the UNSC has theorized that its use is restricted either by branch or unit. The weapon has been described as the Covenant counterpart to the M319 Individual Grenade Launcher.[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1098266p1.html IGN: E3 2010: Halo: Reach Campaign Preview] In general, the Concussion Rifle resembles the Brute Shot, but has a different mode of operation: instead of firing a straight, linear-path projectile like a Brute Shot, the Concussion Rifle fires a plasma projectile that arcs due to gravity. This projectile's arc is less pronounced than a Wraith's Plasma Mortar, and is similar to the gradual arc of descent from a Fuel Rod Cannon's projectile. The Concussion Rifle, much like the Fuel Rod Cannon, is not very effective for longer ranges due to its arc of descent. It can empty its magazine very quickly and is useful for knocking around land vehicles like the Warthog, which can actually be sent flying through the air with enough rapid fire. With the Cowbell Skull on, its acceleration force becomes very pronounced, especially when directly hitting a target. The projectiles are capable of deflecting small arms fire from assault rifle bullets to something as heavy as a Wraith mortar blast. Advantages *The concussion rifle is very good at disorienting your enemies as the blast sends the target into the air and the flash momentarily blinds them. A sprinting Spartan can immediately be stopped in his/her tracks with a general shot in front of them or a direct hit to the front. *When your enemies are sent into the air by the blast they are helpless until they hit the ground again. You can use this to get in a headshot. *Due to the concussion rifle's ability to send enemies flying into the air, you can use this to send a particularly strong target such as a Hunter off the map to instantly kill them. The effect can also be used to jump with the weapon for less self-damage than jumping with a grenade. **This effect also makes it an effective anti-vehicle weapon, as multiple shots fired from a Concussion Rifle can make a Warthog flip through the air in an often-humorous manner. *The projectiles of a concussion rifle can potentially save your life from an otherwise fatal shot of a sniper rifle bullet or other powerful projectile. The projectiles in question must collide with the concussion rifle bolt to be successfully deflected. However, this is extremly hard to accomplish. Disadvantages *The concussion rifle's blast is not nearly as powerful as the human Grenade launcher or the Brute Shot and takes around five to seven blasts to kill an Elite Ultra depending on your difficulty. *Its small magazine and narrow ammo capacity means applications for this weapon are very limited, and therefore very underused in multiplayer Matchmaking. *Because of the aforementioned ammunition issues, along with the knockback effect, it consequently becomes more beneficial for the AI than the player, who can also make use of bottomless clip and impossible rapid fire compared to the player. Trivia *The Concussion rifle can be considered an analog to the UNSC Grenade Launcher and the Brute Shot. *Although, the UNSC Grenade Launcher and Brute Shot are superior in firepower, the Concussion Rifle is much faster, including the reload. *The concussion rifle is the only plasma-based weapon in a Halo game to have a removable/replaceable power cell *A larger version of it is mounted on Phantoms and Spirits *A multiplayer Matchmaking gametype in the Action Sack playlist called Dino Blasters features Elites in unlimited fuel Antigravity Packs and Concussion Rifles with bottomless clips. It functions much like Elite Slayer, without loadouts. It can get very hectic. *In the Halo Reach Legendary Edition Guide, it refers to the Concussion Rifle as the Elite Shot at some point. This is a possible reference to the weapon's similarity to the Brute Shot. However, the Concussion Rifle is used by Jiralhanae as well as Sangheili, as opposed to the Brute Shot, which is only used by Jiralhanae, so the term Elite Shot is fairly invalid. Gallery File:HaloReach-ConcussionRifle-Profile.png|A profile render of the Concussion Rifle in Halo: Reach. File:Halo Reach Concussion Rifle Screen.png|A first-person view of the concussion rifle's targeting reticule in SPARTAN-B312's HUD. File:HReach - Ultra Sangheili.png|A Sangheili Ultra wielding a concussion rifle. File:Elite Major Concussion Rifle.jpg|A Major Sangheili wielding a concussion rifle seen in the Halo: Reach E3 Firefight trailer. File:Concussion Rifle Shot.jpg|A pack of Jiralhanae wielding Concussion Rifles in Firefight. Appearances *''Halo: Reach'' *''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'' Sources Category:Halo: Reach Weapons Category:Covenant Weapons Category:Firefight Weapons Category:Halo: Reach Category:Weapons Category:Explosives Category:Covenant technology Category:The Covenant